New MacBook Air 2014 releasing this Christmas with Intel's Core M chipset?
A refreshed MacBook Air is reportedly coming right before the holidays as Intel re-launches the Core "M" processors.
Intel's new Core "M" chipsets was first announced at the Computex 2014 in June. However, the company chose to remind people of the features and functions of the new processors at the recent IFA 2014 trade show. This time, Intel confirmed that devices equipped with the processors will arrive during the holiday season. Because of the history of Apple and Intel's business relationship, this suggests that new MacBook Air laptops are bound to hit the market later this year.
It was initially speculated that the MacBook Air will arrive in the fall, but the release date was pushed back because of the jampacked schedule of Apple during the season. Moreover, the release of Intel Broadwell chips was allegedly delayed.
According to reports, the first batch of the Core "M" chips will be shipped only by the end of this year. Apple will be the first company to receive the new processors. Packing Broadwell chips will pave the way to thinner and lighter MacBook Pro and Air. Intel also said that the new 14nm processors will yield to laptops and tablet computers without cooling fans.
Intel revealed that devices packing Core "M" chipsets will be thinner and will offer 50% boost on the device's performance as well as 40% faster graphics performance. Lastly, the processors will significantly improve the battery life, adding up to 1.7 hours of use on a single charge because of its power efficiency.
Rumors about the new MacBook Air have been going around for quite some time, centered mostly on the Retina display being added to the device. Some of the other features expected to go with the upcoming MacBook Air are: 12-inch monitor with 2K screen resolution; 1.35kg; 128GB or 256GB SSD; 1.4GHz Intel Core i5; 4GB RAM; 2x USB 3.0; Mini DisplayPort / Thunderbolt 2.0; Memory card reader; 720p FaceTime camera.
However, Apple has not confirmed nor denied these rumors.